


Convergence Creation Week 2017

by RavenBloom



Series: Convergence Creation Week [2]
Category: Descendants (Disney Movies), Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Convergence Creation, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-30
Updated: 2018-05-30
Packaged: 2019-05-16 01:53:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14802110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RavenBloom/pseuds/RavenBloom
Summary: A collection of stories for Convergence Creation Week 2017





	1. Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It's time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings." Frank and Hazel find each other in the Season Seven world after a good bit of worry to start the new world's adventures together.

Frank was worried — it was already a day since he had arrived in the new world, and Hazel was still nowhere in sight. Reluctantly moving away from the bridge, which was where he assumed was the new spawn point for everyone, the black-haired demigod finally walked towards the gingerbread house-looking cottage that was the new residence for the residents of the Convergence. The Roman demigod looked back towards the bridge one final time to see if Hazel had spawned there, but when he saw nothing, the legacy just shook his head and continued on his path.

He'd come back later to find Hazel, but before that, maybe he could look around the islands to see if Hazel had surfaced sometime before and was looking for him as well. He hopes so, but Frank couldn't say anything certain.

The  _praetor_  turned away from the bridge between the two islands with a sigh, hands slipping into the pockets of his khakis as he walked off.

_Hazel... I hope you're alright._

* * *

Hazel sighed as she got to her feet from resting on the bridge and waiting for her clothes to dry somewhat. Unfortunately, her clothes were still soaked through, only a little less soggy from the water, and coupled with the light breeze that was blowing through the island right now, she was feeling a bit cold. The girl hoped she didn't get a cold from this — that would be too troublesome, to fall sick as soon as she arrived in the world.

Shaking her head in mild dismay, the dark-skinned girl headed for the brighter of the two islands, hoping the sun could dry her off faster while she looked for Frank or Nico. The chat she had shared with Grace had been nice, but the girl had long excused herself to head to her home. Speaking of homes... Golden eyes looked around with immense interest at the candy-covered cottages she could see. Were those the new housing? They looked childishly cute... like a fairy tale.

"Hazel?" Was that Frank? It sounded like him, at least.

The demigod turned around to see her boyfriend running towards her with a wide grin, and a bright smile lit up her face as well. "Frank!" she exclaimed brightly, "There you are!" That was all she could manage before he pulled her into a tight hug, still grinning, though his dark eyes expressed relief. "I missed you too," she said with a giggle.

Frank chuckled faintly, stepping back and pressing a chaste kiss to her forehead. "Sorry," he apologized, "I was a bit worried. Oh, here." He unzipped the denim-coloured jacket he was wearing, slipping the dry article of clothing around her petite form. "How about we head home?" the Chinese-Canadian demigod suggested with a smile, wrapping an arm around her. "Get you into some dry clothes so you won't catch anything."

Hazel smiled, leaning into him as they started walking. "Lead the way, Frank," she said, beaming. The girl gave a little sneeze, prompting the boy to hastily adjust her jacket so it was wrapped tighter around her, then gently guide her towards one of the candy-covered cottages. Seeing the shining plaque on the wall that had Frank's name on it, the girl smiled as she felt the weight of a key drop into her pocket and her own name appear beside his own.

"Let's head inside."

It was time for a new start in the new world, and Hazel was very certain that she was going to like it.


	2. Loss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I keep myself busy with things to do, but every time I pause, I still think of you." After a nasty break-up with Doug, Evie has some time to reflect on it.

Evie looked up from her sketchbook to find her pencil, not having felt the wooden drawing instrument when she was feeling around the table for it. When the girl didn't see the precious writing utensil anywhere, she sighed, looking down to the floor, guessing that it had rolled off the table when she had put it down in favour of the red colour pencil she had in her other hand. She was right — there it was, lying innocently beneath her chair, prompting the girl to sigh and lean down to get it.

As she leaned down from her chair at the table, the daughter of the Evil Queen felt her fingers glide over a crumpled piece of paper under her seat, curiosity prompting her to pick it up and smooth out the balled up paper — blank on one side too, what a waste! Her motions to smooth out the piece of paper stopped when she saw what she had drawn on the side that had been facing in, and the girl crumpled up the paper again, throwing it to the ground.

She didn't need a reminder of Doug again, not so soon after the break-up. Even thinking of it was making her eyes start to water, and while her makeup was of good quality, it was certainly not waterproof. Evie did  _not_ need her mascara to run for the fifth time that day. Pursing her perfectly-painted lips, Evie searched for and located her pencil, picking it up and setting it on the table — perhaps a bit more roughly than was required for a simple pencil.

She was getting emotional over him again, Evie realized in the back of her mind, and the girl bit down on her lower lip, looking away from her sketchbook, both afraid of getting her sketchbook messy with running mascara and not wanting to see anything that might remind her of Doug.

_"You're evil and always will be."_

_"I don't know what I ever saw in you!"_

_Slap!_

Evie flinched at the memory and stood up, leaving her stationery and sketches on the table as she rushed to the bathroom to cry, already wiping her eyes and leaving her arm stained with black mascara stains. What had she done to deserve that? She was just having lunch with Jay — it wasn't even as if they were sitting together! When she reached the bathroom, she sobbed into her hands, not caring if her makeup ran more or if her foundation and concealer was being rubbed off. She just needed a good cry right now so she could get it over with.

Finally, the daughter of the Evil Queen looked up to see herself in the mirror, and she couldn't help laughing at the mess she had made of herself. It was a mirthless, bitter laugh, but it was a laugh nonetheless. She missed Doug so much, even if he had been cruel to her for no reason. It still tugged at her heartstrings to think about Doug and how he had broken up with her, and she didn't want another self-pity fest going on in her apartment.

With a sigh, Evie set off to fix her ruined makeup, busying herself with the familiar procedures of applying foundation, concealer, blush... Her thoughts were quickly buried under perfecting the winged eyeliner she usually drew, and with the final swipe of her eyeliner pencil, she was done with the rest of her makeup. Smiling at herself, the girl headed back to the table, checking her lipstick in her compact as she went.

Her phone buzzed with a text message, and when she checked it, she smiled.

_Evie, wanna go out and have lunch? ~ Jay_

She texted him back.

_Jay. I'll see you at the cafe. ~ Evie_


	3. Alternatives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "In an indefinite multiverse, there is no such thing as fiction." Will has some musings over his role in the series. Nico gets him out of said funk.

Will was sitting on the front steps of the cottage of the new world, the books of the Percy Jackson series stacked beside him on the stone steps. One particular book,  _Blood of Olympus_ was open in his hands, turned to the page where he had appeared in the book. The blond was staring out at the island scenery, a hand put to his chin as he delved deeper into his musings, the book left open and unread.

Will had never spent too much time mulling over what he had learnt from the others when he had first arrived, but seeing the movies and now finally reading the book reminded him of what the truth was. He was fictional, a character in a story that only served as a convenient way to tie up a loose end. So that was it? Was he really just someone to be written off in the background, just a person with a face and such meagre personality description that he seemed like a blank slate? For goodness sake, he was a person!

The son of Apollo snapped the book shut and rather roughly slammed the paperback book onto the stack of books beside him, inadvertently making the stacks topple and making him groan in annoyance, running a hand through short blonde locks in frustration. So that was it then, he finally concluded to himself with a sour look on his face, and the Greek demigod sat back, frowning deeply.

The faint sound of paws lightly scuffing the dirt ground alerted him to what could only be Nico and his beloved hellhound — or rather, one of the five that he so adored — coming back from the long walk the son of Hades had promised the largest of the pack. Gentle footsteps — definitely Nico's, because Will could recognize those shoes anywhere — sounded to his left, and the pale demigod slid onto the step next to him. For a moment, neither spoke a word, then Nico's pale hand reached over to take Will's, giving it a light squeeze in concern.

"Will, what is it? What's wrong?" Concern tinged the boy's voice, proving that, yes, he was most definitely worried about how the blond was acting.

Well, he owed the son of Hades an explanation... Will sighed, shoulders slumping visibly as he turned a little to his side to look at him. "Nico," he murmured gently, returning the light squeeze of the hand, "...did I ever have a choice?" His words were vague, but his thoughts were probably even more.

The frown already present on Nico's features deepened more, and the son of Hades reached out with his free hand, pushing a lock of blonde hair away from the healer's face, looking intently at him. "What do you mean?" he asked. "Choice of what?"

"I mean... a choice about, well,  _anything_  back at home," Will clarified, knowing that the demigod was confused. "I mean, we're characters written about in a book — what real choices about anything did we have, not decided by the author beforehand?"

"Nonsense. We have a choice, Will. I don't give a damn about any book, we're  _real._ We're making our own choice here and now, and we did back home too," the dark-haired demigod told him seriously.

The blond gently squeezed his hand. "I just..." he trailed off, "I just feel like if I could have chosen something different... y'know, if I was actually  _present_ in the Battle of the Labyrinth, I might have been able to do something, like save my sibling..." He snorted in mild disdain. "If I was actually given a choice to act instead of just being there in the background."

Nico's exasperated sigh drew his attention. "You were  _not_  just in the background, Will," the pale demigod muttered. "Look, during the fight in New York, Annabeth was the one who convinced Luke to fight back and take down Kronos. And Annabeth wouldn't have been able to do that if you hadn't been there. You saved the world that day, Will, and you saved me."

"I..." Will paused, then shook his head with a slight chuckle. "You're right, I guess."  _You're always right, Nico._  "Sorry for whining," he said with a hint of a grin. The blond raised his free hand to gently cup Nico's face, smiling. "Where would I be without my angel?"

"And where would I be without my sunshine?" the son of Hades whispered back. "Probably out in a cave somewhere, all alone. You're not just some character in the background. You're the reason I stayed. You're the reason I smile. You're the reason I take care of myself. You're the reason I'm alive. Don't ever think of yourself as just the background. You saved me. Never forget that."

Will smiled, leaning in and pressing a light kiss to his forehead. "I won't, not again," he promised. "I love you, Nico. I love you so, so much."

Even given an alternative choice, he supposed he'd still stay with the one he had now; the one where he was with Nico. That, he would never want to change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Co-written with Great-Need-To-Take-A-Nap on FanFiction.Net.


	4. Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Remembering the past gives power to the present." Hazel, Frank, Will, and Evie reminisce about their best memories, Convergence or otherwise.

Hazel wasn't exactly sure that the Convergence would be her first choice when it was a choice between the strange world and her home, but she found that it wasn't exactly unpleasant. Again, she didn't completely like the world either — it was too much of a nuisance on most days, enough for her to consider it an utter trouble, what with the constantly changing 'experiments' to put its inhabitants through.

Though... it didn't mean the world didn't have its perks, of course.

Like... say, no need to be on the constant look-out for monsters on Terra Firma, because there simply were none.

Now,  _this_ , Hazel could quite safely say she liked, as she walked along the streets of the city hand-in-hand with Frank, humming lightly under her breath. Unlike a scene back in her world, where a near constant awareness of possible monster attacks was needed once out of the safety of the camps. Or worse, having to look around for an angry, homicidal Primordial goddess. Just the memory made the girl grimace and shudder, prompting Frank to gently tap her on the shoulder.

"Something the matter?" the Roman demigod asked in a warm tone.

Hazel shook her head. "Just remembering some things from back home," she replied, "our cross-country trip to get to Greece. Saving Thanatos. Normal things." She couldn't help but laugh at the casually tacked-on statement. The Seven were not normal by any standards, not even demigod ones.

Her boyfriend joined her in chuckling in amusement, and Frank wrapped an arm around her. "Good times," he replied with a fond smile. "There's a cafe over there — want to go inside and get a coffee and a snack to share?"

Hazel beamed at him, nodding. "That would be perfect." And maybe more memories could be made while they were at it, memories that highlighted the world in a much fonder light. 

* * *

Frank had pleasant memories of the Convergence, and he had unpleasant ones all the same. Basically, it was no different than from home, but maybe worse.

His favourite memories of the world were quiet little moments where there was peace and quiet in the world, and he and Hazel had a chance to sit back together and read or watch a movie together. They didn't have many moments of calm and quiet in the Convergence, but maybe that was why he loved them so much. He'd make the best of them whenever he got the chance for calm, always together with Hazel to savour the moment with the one he loved.

Though with that said, he had more unpleasant memories than fond ones.

The demigod could remember a few scenes where he was well and truly upset, particularly his encounters with one Niklaus Mikaelson. The name still left a bad taste in his mouth, from how the man degraded him and doubted his ability to take care of Hazel, to how he — and it was  _his_ fault — had led to Hazel getting in danger, far more than she would have gotten into on a normal basis. And the man still had the gall to call him an unfit guardian! The only thing about that period of time in the Convergence that didn't annoy him to think about it was the way Hazel fought to defend him verbally no matter how Klaus insulted him, and Frank was forever going to remember that.

Frank didn't speak to anyone about it, but he kept a record of some of his major events in the Convergence in a journal, and when he had the time, he sometimes read through his records, and every single memory was enough to make him smile in fondness, though some were... perhaps less than truly fond, and more of a wince-inducing line of thought.

Still, memories were memories. 

* * *

Will did not consider himself a truly sentimental person, but the blond liked to think back when he could, even if he'd rather miss the more... saddening memories along the way. The son of Apollo truly did miss Camp Half-Blood, but he never said it out loud, not when he could revisit the familiar camp in the Hologram Cinema of the old world, and the new memory room in this new one.

As the blond watched Camp Half-Blood pass by him, the son of Apollo beamed at the memory of the good times he had seen in his home, watching each scene with undivided attention and a million-watt smile of amusement at some of the sillier antics of his siblings. Home was such a delightful place, one he wouldn't dare exchange for anything else.

Alright, perhaps not anything else.

The scene around him changed again, to his first arrival in the Convergence in the snow-filled world that just irked him. He remembered walking from the mountaintop to get down, and meeting with the Harry Potter witch Hermione Granger, who had ever so graciously explained to him the workings of the Convergence... or how it worked as far as she was aware, and then he stopped at the cafe. Will — the real one, not the memory — was beaming so widely at this point that his face was hurting, and the blond watched as he and Nico hugged.

The blue-eyed son of Apollo beamed. Yeah, he knew that he was missing something, and there it was, the one thing he'd never give up for anything at all, not even the chance to go home of his own volition. The blond let the memory finish before he turned around to head out, already intending to head home to his angel — his Nico.

Memories weren't so bad to think over, y'know? 

* * *

 

Evie wasn't quite sure what she thought of the world, compared to Auradon and the Isle. Auradon was her new home, the Isle was her old one, and all her best memories were scattered throughout the three places. But she was stuck in this world now, though, and while she was looking forward to many memories she would make in the future, she always had the time to think back to the past.

Her best memories of the Isle were scarce, but while they were few in number, they held great significance to her. Her first memories of her best friends were less than pleasant, but the good times she had shared with them more than made up for it. She remembered Mal locking her in the closet; she remembered meeting a very terrified Carlos; she remembered her time at school with the other three children of the deadliest villains ever.

And most of all, she remembered the songs they shared, and all the chaos they caused with Mal's scheming and their eagerness to become their parents.

Then, she had her memories of Auradon. Bittersweet, but some of the best memories she had ever had in her world. Evie could recall her time trying to romance the jerk of all jerks Chad Charming; she could recall Doug trying to help her out; she could recall her friends trying to get to the wand and steal it, and ultimately failing; she could recall how the final battle and the dance went.

Nothing else was better to her than her time with her friends and her new friends of Auradon.

Finally, there were her memories of the Convergence. Evie's most emotional memories could all be found here, she knew, from her harsh break-up with Doug, to her new and blossoming relationship with Jay. It hurt her a lot to think about it, but it was also warm to recall. Conflicting was the least of it, to say the least.

Still, Evie treasured her memories, and she'd hate to lose them in any way.


	5. Pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Find a place inside where there's joy, and the joy will burn out the pain." Hazel is in a terrible state after a painful experience, but Nico is there to comfort her.

Hazel curled up into a ball in her bed, hugging her knees to her chest. Her breathing was shaky, and the demigod was trembling in fear. She didn't want to be alone, but Frank had to head out to get the groceries, so she had little other choice. The girl pulled the blankets of her bed closer to her, trying to chase away the cold that lingered in her room, despite the heater being on, but it wasn't effective in the slightest. She quivered, closing her eyes and trying to banish the memory of the pain that shot through her.

"Leave me alone," she whimpered weakly, following up with weak sobbing.

She didn't want to remember it, but she did.

Alabaster pointing a wand at her with a cruel grin, firing off blasts of light at her, some that made her feel like her nerves were on fire despite not actually hurting her physically, and finally the murderous smile as he pointed the wooden item at her head. The whispered goodbye was a taunting sound as she wrapped herself in the Mist and yanked herself away, and the pain of multiple broken bones, scalded skin, and a rough landing jolted her awake from a slow and suffocating death. And then Zoe had stood over her, told her some things that ultimately meant she would mercy kill the younger girl. The daughter of Hades raised her gun and shot Hazel through the head, letting her respawn on the mountain, cold, terrified, and traumatized.

Hazel just cried softly to herself as she tried to forget it.

After what seemed like forever, there was a knock on the door, and for a moment, Hazel thought it was Frank, but no, she reminded herself, Frank wasn't going to be back until sundown. "Hazel?" That was Nico, she realized somewhere in the back of her mind, his voice soft and gentle as he called out to her.

Slowly, she looked up from staring at her feet, nudging the blankets to the side to peer warily at him. For a while, the girl was silent, then she spoke. "... Nico?" Her voice was barely a whisper, and she was terrified.

"It's me," the older of the two assured in a soft tone. The soft thuds of his footfalls grew louder as he walked to her bedside, and the side of the bed sank down as the son of Hades sat down on the bed beside her. A pale hand moved out and brushed a strand of hair from her face, a curly brown hair that Hazel wasn't even aware was matted to her face from her earlier crying. "It's me," he continued softly, "I'm right here."

The Roman demigod trembled a little, rubbing at her red-rimmed golden eyes, shrinking a little away from him. "I-I'm sorry," she stammered out quietly, quivering.

"No, no," the dark-haired boy said quietly, "don't be sorry. You have nothing to be sorry for." He didn't make a movement to try and touch her again, for which Hazel was thankful.

She was more than a little terrified he'd turn out to be another of those Harry Potter rip-offs and try to hurt her again. The dark-skinned girl nodded silently at his statement, swallowing slightly. With trembling and shaking hands, she rubbed her red eyes and slowly looked over at her brother. "I can still feel it," she said quietly, voice quivering. "It hurts to close my eyes sometimes... I can feel the pain when I do it, all over again. I feel Zoe shooting me too..." She hiccuped a little, and the golden-eyed girl looked away.

"I'm so sorry," Nico whispered to her. "You shouldn't have gone through that." His voice was still soft and gentle, not changing at all in tone or volume. He was trying to make her feel comfortable, and it showed.

"I-I should have been more alert," the demigod mumbled, still shaking. "I should have... I should have known the world could have done something, I—"

Nico pulled her into a hug, the demigod wrapping arms around his sister with a sigh. "No, no, Hazel, no. This isn't your fault." There was only the slightest hint of a reprimand in his voice, but it was still soft, consoling. "Not your fault." He gently rubbed her back as she cried into him, and the older sibling clasped her tight as she continued to cry, soaking his shirt with tears.

"I-I'm scared, Nico," Hazel said, voice cracking. "He's going to get me again if I go out."

The Greek demigod shook his head, rubbing her back soothingly. "No, he won't. I won't let him," he promised firmly. "I won't let anything happen to you."

"Y-you don't have to. I should have been able to— to take care of myself... it's my fault..." The girl swallowed, hiccuping.

Nico sighed, still rubbing her back. "No, it's not." His voice was serious, but it was also gentle enough that it didn't sound like a scolding. "Don't  _ever_  think that. Never, you understand me?"

She hiccuped again, wiping furiously at her eyes. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she repeated in a low voice, "I... can't... I'm useless," she mumbled. "I can't even take care of myself..."

"You're not useless, Hazel," her brother told her warmly, kissing the top of her head affectionately, a gesture Hazel didn't move away from, still sniffing. "Not at all. I've been where you are, Hazel. You feel like you can't do anything, but you're wrong. You're stronger than you know."

"Then why am I still trembling at the idea of going out?" Her voice was cracking again, and she was quivering.

"Because you're still scared. And that's okay. That's normal, Hazel. After being imprisoned in that jar... I was scared of the dark for a while, but it made me stronger. This will make you stronger too."

"But you're so much stronger than I am," Hazel mumbled. "I'm not a good fighter, not a strategist, not a healer..."

"Hazel, look at me," he said seriously, in a tone that said clearly the demigod would brook no argument this time.

The girl wiped her eyes, sniffing as she warily looked at her brother.

"You are strong, Hazel. You are so strong. You helped us save the world. I've seen the strength in you. I think you are stronger than me. A lot stronger."

Hazel remained silent, chewing on her lower lip as she looked silently at her brother. "I'm sorry," she finally mumbled. "I'm sorry I'm whining to you about things that don't matter."

"Hey no. They matter. You're not whining, Hazel. You're scared and you have every right to be," he said gently and hugged her again, holding her close. "It'll be alright."

Hazel threw her arms around Nico and continued to sob, shaking. "...thank you, Nico... for being here."

"I'll always be here for you, sis," he said gently. "I love you."

"Love you too, Nico," Hazel mumbled, sniffing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Co-written with Great-Need-To-Take-A-Nap on FanFiction.Net.


	6. Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Mistakes are the portals of discovery." Frank prepares to make a romantic dinner for himself and Hazel.

Frank set down the plates on the table with a relieved sigh, wiping the beads of perspiration from his brow as he stood back, a proud smile on his face at his handiwork. The legacy grinned as he pulled his sleeves down over the bandages over his forearms, folding his arms over his chest as he admired his work.  _Great job, Frank,_  he mentally cheered himself on,  _Hazel is going to love this._

The Chinese-Canadian had been working on the dinner spread for well over an hour, and he was glad to say it was time well-spent. Now, he just needed to call her to come home for dinner after an entire day of distracting her with events. He smiled broadly to himself. This was going to go well, so very well, and it was all thanks to a few months of hard work and careful 'research' on his end.

* * *

The first part of said 'research' was three months ago, where Frank had prepared a few different meals and blindfolded Hazel, asking her to test-taste and declare her favourite for him to contribute for the planned dinner three months after. The legacy had made three different dishes based off on what he hoped Hazel would enjoy based on her usual food choices — an Italian recipe he had asked Nico to help with, a Chinese recipe with fried glass noodles, and a French _Aligote_.

"That's Nico's lasagna, isn't it?" Hazel was asking when Frank offered her a bite of the Italian dish. "It tastes like it. Though it's a little drier than he makes it." The girl frowned, licking her lips. "Did you make this, Frank?"

Frank cleared his throat. "Moving on!" he quickly declared, setting the plate aside and pushing it towards the center of the dining room table. Alright, that was out of the question now. The Roman demigod picked up the next dish — French  _Aligote_  — and handed her another bite of the cheese and potato dish, waiting for her reaction to it, already crossing the lasagna off his mental list of dinner dishes, which left the noodles or the  _Aligote_.

The girl pursed her lips. "Um... it's a lot of cheese," she finally said. "I mean, lasagna has a lot of cheese too, but this is... overpowering? I'm not sure... it's a lot stronger than the potatoes..."

The legacy held back a groan at his carelessness, and set his plate down. Not the meal needed either. Which left... the glass noodles. Picking up that plate, the demigod gave Hazel a bite of the fried noodles and stir-fried vegetables. Oh, he hoped she liked that one.

"What's this one?" the golden-eyed girl asked curiously. "It's delicious."

Frank beamed widely. "Stir-fried vegetables with glass noodles. Mission accomplished.

* * *

The second part was much simpler — he simply held up colour swatches to her while they were watching television, asking her which one she thought would go well with white wax candles and a soft-orange light, claiming he was asking her opinion of colours for a friend.

Hazel turned from watching  _Hell's Kitchen_  — in which Gordon Ramsay was chewing out a contestant very angrily, though most of the curses were censored to the point of the whole thing being unintelligible — to the piece of paper he had with the four colour palettes printed on it. Her golden eyes looked over the choices for a moment, then frowned slightly. "Hm... maybe this one?" she suggested, tapping the faded red on the upper corner.

"Red?" Frank repeated, confirming it to himself. "Anything else you think could work?" A checkered pattern wouldn't be hard to find, not in the Convergence, of course.

Hazel paused. "White?" she suggested. "Though it might be hard to clean."

The legacy smiled. "What about a white one with red designs?"

The girl paused, then smiled. "That could work."

And with that, Frank crossed off another part of his plan as done.

* * *

The final part was much less fun than the others, mainly because it involved putting things together in private while he asked the others to distract her. It resulted in a number of accidents that were much harder to cover up, like, say, him nearly setting the kitchen on fire while cleaning up a spill in the back, or him scrambling to clean up when Hazel was back and nearly falling flat on his face. Most of the scratches he had were from mishaps while rushing to clean things up, but ultimately, he had gotten things together.

With a smile on his face, Frank phoned Hazel on her mobile phone and enthusiastically welcomed her back, covering her eyes with his hands as he led her to the dining room. "Hey, no peeking," he chided when they were there, and the demigod had just giggled when he caught her attempt to look through his widely-spaced fingers to see what he had planned. "And... there!" Frank removed his hands, and beamed at her, hoping she was impressed.

Hazel certainly was. "Is this all for..." she made a gesture, "us?"

Frank shook his head. "Nope, all for you," he corrected, making her blush slightly.

"Thanks, Frank," Hazel said, leaning in and kissing his cheek.

Frank grinned — all that trial and error making everything click was worth it if he found out what could make dinner best for them both.


	7. Endings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Ends are not bad and many ends aren't really an ending; some things are never-ending." Before the end of the Season Six world, Hazel, Frank, Will and Nico gather together to spend some time together.

"It's almost time, isn't it?" Hazel asked, looking out of the door to her shared flat with Frank, peering curiously out at the world. It was quiet... too quiet.

Frank looked up from his journal, looking around to see out the door. "...yeah, seems like it," he said, standing up and gently closing the journal. "World's almost going to end, and we'll be whisked off to another new place. I wonder what it'll be like this time around, though hopefully, it won't have as many stairs to get from one place to another."

The dark-haired demigod laughed slightly. "Yeah..." Shaking her head with a chuckle, her golden gaze was cast outside to the world of Terra Firma, where no animals were. No sounds of birds chirping, no sounds of stray animals calling, nothing at all. The silence was overbearing, stifling, even, and Hazel was feeling smothered by the silence, even if it wasn't really present at all. She shuffled in place. "Maybe we could talk with Nico and Will until the end comes?" she asked, needing some more company and some sound to chase away the silence.

"Good idea, let's go," the demigod agreed. "They're just next door, so we can get there easily."

Hazel nodded, and the two walked next door to knock on the apartment door. 

* * *

Will looked up when he heard a knock on the door, and the blond got up to answer it, setting aside a medical book he had been browsing through.

Nico glanced over at the door, swinging his legs on the sofa.

"It's Hazel and Frank," the son of Apollo said when he opened the door, greeting the two with a smile and ushering them in. "What are you two doing here?"

Frank chuckled as the Roman demigod walked inside with Hazel, closing the door behind him. "Hazel wanted to see her brother, and we needed some people to talk to. The silence is  _deafening_." The emphasis put on the last word was not missed by the Greek demigods.

Smiling warmly, the son of Hades rose from the sofa and jogged over to the two Romans, pulling his sister into a tight hug.

"Hi, Nico," Hazel said softly, smiling as the girl huffed him back.

"Hey, sis. How are you?"

The girl beamed. "I've been good, how about you and Will?" she asked, pulling back and blowing a strand of curly brown hair out of her face.

"We're good," Nico answered for the two of them. "It's a bit spooky though," he added thoughtfully, frowning, "without all the animals."

Will nodded, running a hand through his short blond locks. "It's quiet," he said, " _too_  quiet." The son of Apollo made his best impression of a ghostly leer, mock-glaring at Frank, though it was apparent that the legacy was just finding it humorous as he snorted in response.

The pale demigod chuckled at the antics of the blond. "Why did I fall for such a dork?" he asked his sister, laughing in amusement.

Said sister giggled at the question. "Because you like him," the golden-eyed girl teased, "and because he likes you."

Nico smiled. "Guess I should keep him, then?"

Hazel just giggled again, nodding her agreement. Her expression turned somewhat sombre when the girl started to speak again, noting, "It's getting close, you know," she said softly. "The world's going to end soon."

Nico nodded. "Yeah, but who knows? Maybe the next one will be better." He smiled gently as his sister.

"Maybe we'll see our hounds again."

The son of Hades smiled brightly. "Hopefully so, I've missed them.

"I know I haven't," Will and Frank both uttered in near perfect unison, prompting both demigods to look at each other and pause.

Frank inhaled sharply, then said hurriedly, "I didn't just say that out loud."

"Neither did I!" Will exclaimed loudly, waving his hands in the air as the blond turned to the two children of the Underworld ruler.

Nico smirked. "Yes, you did! I heard it; did you hear it, Hazel?"

The girl laughed. "I heard it," she said, smiling. "Frank, if I get Lucia back in the next world, she's sleeping in your room for a week."

The legacy looked taken aback, eyes wide. "Really?" he whined.

Will just snickered in amusement at his unfortunate situation.

"And all five hounds will be sleeping in our room for a week, Will." Nico's grin was tangible in his amused voice.

The son of Apollo let his jaw drop open, and he groaned, putting his hands over his face as he dramatically dropped onto the sofa. "Me and my big mouth," he grumbled.

Frank scoffed, frowning. "Us and  _our_  big mouths," he corrected promptly, joining him on one side.

Hazel's bright giggle only highlighted their situation.

The son of Hades laughed as well, teasing, "Yes, you and your big mouths. This'll teach you." He smirked.

"Well, that gives me much less reason to like Lucia if she comes back," Frank muttered, the black-haired legacy groaning at his predicament.

Will grimaced. "Oh, you haven't gotten slobbered on by the hounds yet." His expression was pure hilarity.

Nico grinned. "Oh, the hounds are gonna give you so many kisses, Will."

"I'll be drowned in that drool," the blond droned with a melodramatic sigh. "So dead."

The son of Hades just laughed gently. "It's because they love you."

"Apparently not enough to keep me dry," Will pointed out.

Hazel shook her head with a chuckle. "That's just the way hounds are."

"So, any plans for the new world?" Frank asked. "Any regrets?"

"Not for me. How about you, Will?"

"Maybe this time I can get the Joker away from you," Will muttered sourly, running a hand through his short blonde locks in frustration.

Nico took Will's hand gently. "None of it is your fault," he said seriously, squeezing the boy's hand as he looked over at the son of Apollo.

"How many times has he hurt you and how many times have I stopped it?" the blond asked, sounding somewhat desperate.

"We could have stopped him," Hazel added quietly, shivering from her last encounter with the madman, wherein she had been severely injured, along with Nico. "I still couldn't help save you."

Frank said nothing, expression grim as he looked between the two demigods.

"It's not your fault, any of you," Nico said slowly. "Joker is crazy and unpredictable."

"He's insane, but it's not like we can do anything about that," Frank said grimly. "We kill him, he respawns."

"Exactly," Nico said gently, looking between the two. "Please, don't blame yourselves."

"The good thing is that he might be a little more wary of me," Frank mused. "Clawing him to death was strangely satisfying." He grinned a little at the thought.

Hazel stared at him briefly, then shook her head. "I'm sorry, Nico," she said with a sigh.

"Me too," Will added.

Nico hugged them both gently, sitting down on the sofa and pulling Hazel down on his other side. "Don't be."

"You just keep on saying that," Hazel said with a sigh, hugging him back.

"I promise, I won't keep beating myself over this," Will said softly.

"We'll be safe, together," Frank added.

"Good." Nico nodded, holding them tight.

"To staying safe," Frank joked as he joined the hug, chuckling as he patted Will on the back.

"Yeah," the blond agreed, kissing Nico on the crown of his head. "We'll survive the new world."

Hazel beamed. "Together," she said with a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Co-written with Great-Need-To-Take-A-Nap on FanFiction.net.


End file.
